The Montclair Food & Wine Festival will be back May 31 through June 2 with new venues, educational seminars and fun for all. Use promo code JerseyBites (case sensitive) for 10% off admission into any session!
The mission of the Montclair Food & Wine Festival is to promote awareness, education, and appreciation of the culinary arts in Montclair and the surrounding area by gathering chefs, artisans, farmers and wine-makers in a multi-day event offering educational seminars, tastings, demonstrations and lectures.
The fun-filled (and tasty) events include something for everyone, at various price points.
Saturday May 31, 2014: The Grand Tasting at the Montclair Art Museum (3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair)
Guests will enjoy an evening of varied culinary offerings from many of New Jersey’s finest restaurants and purveyors. Both floors of the Montclair Art Museum, including the galleries, will be open for viewing. Wines and spirits will be presented by Gary’s Wine & Marketplace.
A complete list of participating restaurants and vendors can be found here.
Photo Credit: LifeMosaic Photography
Sunday, June 1, 2014: Seminar Series at The Commonwealth Club (26 Northview Ave, Montclair).
The seminar series is new to the festival, “The development of the seminar series was a fascinating process. We started with a list of twelve seminar ideas, and, eventually paired them down to four,” said Melody Kettle, president and treasurer of the Montclair Food & Wine Festival.
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- The Pasta Show with Lou and Laura – 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- New Jersey Aquaculture: Consider the Oyster + The Clam – 1:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
- Debunking Myths of Foie Gras with Ariane Daguin + Ariane Duarte – 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Latin Vegan Tapas with Sally Owens of SO Tasty Vegan & Leaf Vodka – 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. (NOTE: this seminar will take place at Designer Appliances, 208 Bellevue Avenue, Montclair).
Complete seminar details and costs can be found here.
Photo credit: Helga Schaefer Photography
Monday, June 2, 2014: The Gala Dinner at The Manor, West Orange.
An exclusive night of culinary wizardry by some of the elite chefs of New Jersey.
Curious about the process chefs go through to come up with their dishes, I asked Chef Palmieri, charged with the pasta course, how he came up with the concept of his dish, “I usually create dishes at night while dreaming so I keep a pad and pencil handy,” he said. “As for the Montclair Food and Wine Festival, being handed the pasta course, I thought of a dish I had done once before I opened The Orange Squirrel—zucchini blossom pappardelle, only I’ll add a truffled poached duck egg for that extra luxurious factor. Technique will be a large part of this plate and executing for 200 plus will be challenging but that’s why I do what I do. If I wanted easy, I wouldn’t be doing this.”
A six-course custom dining experience, designed and prepared by the following chefs:
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- Chef Mitchell Altholz, Highlawn Pavilion
- Chef Michael Carrino, Pig & Prince Restaurant & Gastrolounge
- Chef Ryan DePersio, Fascino, NICO Kitchen and Battello
- Chef Ariane Duarte, CulinAriane
- Chef Francesco Palmieri, Orange Squirrel
- Chef Floyd Cardoz, Top Chef Masters Champion
Wines will be paired by Sharon Sevrens, proprietor of Montclair’s Amanti Vino.
Complete event details can be found here.
About the Montclair Food & Wine Festival
The Montclair Food & Wine Festival, Inc. was incorporated in September 2011 by a unique group of community volunteers, local chefs, restaurateurs, and industry professionals. As food and wine enthusiasts, our Board of Trustees has designed a two-day event that will recognize, celebrate and share the culinary wealth and diversity of Montclair, while pursuing charitable and educational purposes, including the establishment of a scholarship program geared toward underserved or disadvantaged youth from the Montclair area.
Cheers,
Veronique Deblois, Food & Wine Chickie: Veronique is a food and wine writer based in Morris County. As the author of the popular blog, Food & Wine Chickie Insider, Veronique shares recipes, wine and restaurant reviews and insight into the travel industry of which she’s a 15-year veteran. Follow Veronique on Twitter or like her Facebook page.
